Corporate Accountability

Governor Schwarzenegger tells us that the solution to California´s biggest problems lies in making California better for business. But Arnold was not elected just to represent businesses; the Governor represents the people who work at businesses, buy from businesses and invest in businesses. He also has to represent people who get marketed to by businesses, cheated by businesses and hurt by businesses. Through the eyes of big business, a governor sees less regulation, less litigation and less corporate responsibility, but Schwarzenegger was not elected to wear those glasses.

What Arnold Says About Corporate Accountability

What ArnoldWatch Sees

"[U]nchain business from over taxation and over regulation."

Arnold wants more tax breaks for big corporations - Californians already fund billions of dollars annually in such subsidies - and could threaten important rules that protect the public´s health and safety from pollution, dangerous products and hazardous worksites.

"California´s runaway litigation system has become a trial lawyer´s paradise - encouraging frivolous lawsuits and outrageous settlements that are bleeding money from businesses"

Arnold wants to take away the legal rights of injured consumers to hold corporations accountable for wrongdoing.

In reality, California already has some of the nation´s most restrictive laws that bar consumers from taking businesses to court, including limits on liability for hospitals, insurance companies and manufacturers.

Californians' right to go to court against corporate cheats should be preserved and improved. Arnold should spend some time worrying about how some corporations are bleeding consumers and getting away with it.

"I will bring opportunity to all Californians by improving California´s business climate. I will reduce burdensome regulation. . . " (In response to his own campaign´s website question of how to address high rates of poverty among Latinos)

Instead of trying to directly address the issue of poverty in our society, Arnold suggests we entrust social upliftment to unregulated big businesses.

Arnold has so vigorously adopted a free market ideology that he ignores the fact that regulation is often the only protection against corporate gouging and profiteering that inevitably hurts the poor first and hardest.

"Review all regulations enacted under Gray Davis to determine if they are consistent with enacting legislation AND minimize the economic impact to regulated communities."

Arnold means that whatever health, safety, environmental, civil rights, and workplace regulations that the public has won in recent years might be rolled back if corporations claim they hurt economically even if the rules protect individuals and society.